ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - The dream XI

Leaving England 6 to win off the final delivery in a rain-reduced 20-20 shoot-out, India’s go-to bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin befuddled James Tredwell with viscous turn as the vociferous India-centric crowd that braved torrential rains and chilly howling winds for more than 6 hours let out a primeval roar along with Captain Cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Men in blue held their nerve amidst frenzied action to seal the elusive title in the tightest of twilight finishes. Not often does Dhoni gives vent to his emotions and let his hair down. But beating England in England was mighty special, especially after the ignominy of surrendering to the Poms in the home Test series last year.

Bar the infuriatingly frequent rain interruptions, the 2013 Champions Trophy, apparently the farewell edition, has been the most engrossing one by a country-mile. Despite majority matches being one-sided affairs, we witnessed some edge-of- seat thrillers too, where fortunes swung like stock-market gone crazy. Monumental batting and some inspired bowling coupled with intense fielding was warmly welcomed by England and Wales’s multi-cultural population. Despite the rain threat, 13 of 16 games boasted of sell-out crowds.

Now it’s time to pick the best XI to comprise the Dream Team of ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

Shikhar Dhawan: The Delhi dasher typifies the new age Indian cricketer- bulging biceps, an attractive ear-ring, and the stylish tattoos, twirlable moustache and and turbo-charged aggression. Shikhar Dhawan, who was a mere dot on the Indian cricket‘s horizon a year ago, turned out to be the brightest star of Champions Trophy, aggregating an incredible 363 runs in 5 games at an average of 90.75. His strike rate – 101.39 – is a testament to the fact that he has not only inherited Virender Sehwag‘s position but also his intrepid batting approach.

In addition to clobbering the ball like the original Delhi dasher, he can caress the ball like Sourav Ganguly. Dhawan’s biggest asset though is his sky-high confidence. Dhawan, who signed off as the lead run-scorer of the tournament, knew that he could fire every time he strode out to bat even before the tournament began.

Rohit Sharma: Rohit’s international career has had more start-stops than a bus in Bangalore traffic. Indian cricket’s ultimate enigma has finally come of age, melding sound temperament with outrageous talent. Showing courage to open the batting in alien English conditions, Rohit slapped all those who cast aspersions over his ability. In the very first game of Champions Trophy, he scored a crisp 83, playing the ideal foil to Dhawan. With 4 fifty plus stands in 5 matches, Dhawan and Rohit are the solution to India’s opening conundrum. He finished as the tournament’s fourth highest run getter with 177 runs under his belt.

Kumar Sangakkara: The suave run-machine was the engine-room of Sri Lanka’s promising campaign, compiling 222 runs including an unbeaten 134*- the highest individual score in the tournament. After a patient fifty against New Zealand, Kumar Sangakkara’s masterful century willed Sri Lanka to pull off an improbable run-chase against eventual finalists England. The way he manipulated the English bowlers and fielders in the batting powerplay would serve as a model innings to any aspiring batsman.

Jonathan Trott: Trott, whose equally impressive 76 was relegated to the sidelines by Sanga’s ton would be honoured to share the dressing room with the Sri Lankan stalwart. For a change, Trott’s batting was more a gallop rather than a trot. His refreshingly fluent batting brought him 229 runs, yet some distance behind Dhawan.

Virat Kohli: From 50 for 1, India had slid to 66-5 in the final. The Poms were on the prowl. The conditions overhead and underfoot heavily favoured the bowlers. Surmounting tremendous odds, Kohli played a gutsy innings (43*) to steer India to safe shores. Kohli was in the zone, drilling the ball beautifully through the covers and launching Stuart Broad’s short ball into the deep square-leg stands. India’s future captain had warmed up for the final showdown with a sublime fifty against familiar rivals, Sri Lanka.

MS Dhoni (c & wk): When the uber cool MS Dhoni clad in the winning white jacket like James Bond lifted the Champions Trophy aloft, he became the first skipper to have led his team to all ICC trophies. He did not score a run in the final but his dexterous glove-work that effected two stumpings made the 130 target to look seemingly like 140. Stalking the English batsmen and the pitch like a predator, Dhoni, who is no stranger to masterstrokes, held his spin twins back for last two overs – the period of batting powerplay. What transpired is next is a fairy-tale worthy of being narrated to your grandchildren as Dhoni buttressed his credentials as a leader of men. MS Dhoni’s calmness and self-belief has indeed percolated down to his young, hungry side.

If the pitch tempts Dhoni to have a bowl, he has the luxury of handing over the keeping gear to Sangakkara and roll his arm over.

Ravindra Jadeja: Twirling the ball like he does his macho mustache, Ravindra Jadeja has pinned batsmen after batsmen, rightly earning the golden ball for his table topping 12 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 3.75. While some of his fizzers were directed at the stumps, a majority turned square. Dhoni’s whiz-kid was also more than handy with the bat, providing the nitro-boost at the death. His all -round display (33* and 2-24) in the final will forever remain undimmed by the passage of time, much like Monhinder Amarnath’s heroics in 1983.

Ravichandran Ashwin: Cometh the hour, cometh Ravichandran Ashwin. His first winning contribution in the final came through a razor-sharp catch at first slip that signalled the demise of Captain Cook. He pulled off two more catches off Ishant Sharma in the game-changing ante-penultimate over, an indication that Ashwin has metamorphosed into a reliable catcher inside the circle. He was in the thick of action with the ball also, delivering an impact spell (2-14). His wile, guile and flight was simply too good for the Poms.

The spin tag team of Jadeja and Ashwin had strangulated every opposition into submission with unwavering consistency right from the moment they landed in UK. One the eve of the final, Dhoni said he had the option of having ‘two No.1 spinners’ since he reckoned both Jadeja and Ashwin were equally good spinners. On Sunday night, Ashwin was the chief-marksman, spinning India to glory.

Mitchell McClenaghan: The young tyro has been the surprise package of the tournament, taking 11 wickets in only 3 matches. Deriving lateral movement and appreciable swing, McClenaghan punched above his weight to slay top batsmen. New Zealand now believe they have identified a potential bowling spearhead in McClenaghan.

James Anderson: Anderson’s probing line and length, mastery of swing and rich experience makes him a cinch in this Dream XI. There is no bowler currently playing his trade in international cricket, who can command the ball the way Anderson can. The 30-year-old captured 11 wickets at an enviable average of a shade over 13.

Ishant Sharma: Just when England were coasting in the final, Ishant Sharma produced a double strike out of nowhere to throw a spanner in England’s works. Ishant’s spell was ordinary, yet effective. In the semifinal, he walked away with the Man of the Match honours with a delightful exhibition of seam and bounce. Sri Lanka’s skilled batsmen, bereft of answers caved into Sharma’s steep bounce. With 11 wickets in 5 games, the lanky bowler has reignited that old spark.

The ones who narrowly missed the cut – Alistair Cook, Mahela Jayawardene, Joe Root, Ryan McLaren and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.